The present invention relates to the field of recyclable photographic cameras and more particularly to recyclable cameras that incorporate electronic circuits.
One time use cameras of the type that are pre-loaded with film, used once by a purchaser, and returned to a photofinisher for processing of the film are becoming increasingly popular with photographers. Principal reasons for this popularity include the low cost and high quality of the images captured using these cameras. One reason that one time use cameras can be sold at low cost is that many of the components used in one time use cameras are recycled by the manufacturer after a purchaser has completed exposing the pre-loaded film and turned the camera over to a photofinisher for development of the film. See for instance, Sakai, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,329,330. Therefore, many components of the one time use cameras are designed to last through a suitable number of cycles of sale, use, reconstruction, and resale.
With the increasing popularity of recyclable cameras, consumers have indicated a desire for recyclable cameras having a wider variety of features. In particular, consumers have shown an interest in, for example, features such as camera flash and the ability to record metadata on the film or in association with the film. Such features, in turn, require that one time use cameras have camera electronic systems that execute a set of functions necessary to perform the features. As a result, different types of camera electronic systems have been developed, with each different type performing a different set of functions.
Camera electronic systems however are a relatively expensive component of one time use cameras. Thus, it is important that camera electronic systems are readily recyclable. However as the number of different types of camera electronic systems introduced by a manufacturer increases, the ability of the manufacturer to distribute the development costs for each type of camera electronic system proportionately decreases. This causes a net increase in the per unit cost of each type of camera electronic system. Further, different types of camera electronic systems are typically not compatible with the other types. This increases logistical problems during recycling making the recycling process more complex and expensive which, in turn, also causes a net increase in the cost of such cameras.
Thus, what is needed is a low cost camera electronic system that can be used in more than one different type of one time use camera.
In the electronics industry, it is known to provide circuit boards that contain all of the components necessary to cause the circuit board to perform at least two different functions. Such boards often provide jumper sites or selectable Dual In-line Package pins to allow a manufacturer, user, or other serviceperson to select the mode operation of the board by selectably positioning jumpers or selecting particular Dual In-line Package pins. Often, such circuit boards incorporate all of the componentry necessary to perform both functions. In such an embodiment, the base circuit board must also provide jumper sites with properly positioned jumpers and/or an additional selectable Dual In-line Package pin structure. This adds cost, size, weight and complexity to the circuit board. Further, this creates potential quality problems in that improper jumper alignment or improper DIP pin settings are easily overlooked during recycling.
Alternatively, it is known in the art to provide a circuit board having at least one frangible portion with circuit traces passing through the frangible portion. The operation of the circuit board is altered by breaking off the frangible portions so that selected circuit traces are interrupted causing the circuit board to operate in a different way. However, here too, the circuit board must provide all of the componentry necessary to perform more than one set of camera features. Further, it is time consuming and expensive to replace the frangible portion during recycling.
In the electronics industry, it is also known to mechanically rework printed circuit boards by removing conductive traces from the circuit board and soldering wires to remaining traces to form new circuit patterns. It will be appreciated that this is a costly and time-consuming way to perform recycling. U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,561 shows a method of reworking a circuit board by adhering a flexible circuit having a nonconductive substrate to the circuit board. The nonconductive substrate has a circuit trace which acts as a jumper and joins two portions of a circuit together. This alters the underlying circuit system of the printed circuit board permitting the combined circuit board to operate in an altered manner. However, this method is directed at the problem of performing a single rework or repair to the circuit board. This does not address the problem of removing the flexible circuit from the non-conductive substrate and does not provide a cost efficient mechanism to recycle the printed circuit board.
Thus, what is needed, is a low cost camera electronic system of a first type that is readily modifiable to perform functions that are associated with a second type.
One approach for meeting this need is used by circuit boards that have a first circuit having a basic functionality to which additional circuits can be joined in order to add functionality to the first circuit. Examples of this include Japanese Patent Application 2001-228412A entitled xe2x80x9cStrobe Unit and Its Manufacturing Methodxe2x80x9d and Japanese Patent Application 2001-209095A entitled xe2x80x9cStrobe Unit and Its Manufacturing Methodxe2x80x9d. Each of these patent applications show a camera flash circuit board having a first circuit with a power supply, a voltage step up circuit, and a flash circuit to start the flash of a flash tube. Each of these circuit boards is also adapted with mountings and appropriate electrical circuitry to permit the boards to be combined with a second circuit member to add additional functionality to the first circuit. In each of these patent applications, the second circuit member is joined to the circuit board and thereby combined with the first circuit board to perform additional functions such as detecting the brightness of a scene in order to disable a flash, to quench a flash and/or to enhance the brightness of a flash.
In each of the ""412 and ""095 references, the first circuit is defined to be joined to only one second circuit. Thus, each combination of first and second circuit boards can perform only a second set of camera functions. Where it is desired during recycling, to provide a camera that performs a third set of functions, an entirely different second circuit board must be provided. Thus where the combination of a first circuit board and second circuit board perform a set f n functions, a totally different second circuit board is required in order to perform the set of nxe2x88x921 functions. Similarly, where the combination of a first circuit board and second circuit board that performs the set of n functions requires a totally different second circuit board to perform n+1 functions. This, of course, requires a plurality of second circuit board with each second circuit board being specifically tailored to the desired functionality of the camera. As discussed above, providing individualized circuit boards to each type of camera type raises the difficulties and cost associated with camera manufacture and recycling. Thus, what is needed is a method for assembling and recycling a camera electronic circuit that combines multiple electronic circuits in a way that reduces costs associated with adding and removing electronic functions from the camera electronic circuit.
Finally what is desired is a method for assembling and recycling cameras that minimizes the cost of the camera and of assembling and recycling the camera.
In one aspect of the present invention, a camera electrical system is provided for use in a family of recyclable cameras each camera having a set of desired electronic functions. The camera electrical system has a first electronic circuit for performing a first set of electronic operations including charging a flash capacitor and discharging the flash capacitor though a flash bulb to cause a flash of artificial light during photography said first electronic circuit having a first set of electrical contacts. A plurality of second electronic circuits is provided. Each second circuit has contacts to engage at least one of the first set of electrical contacts, wherein the first electronic circuit and each of said plurality of second circuits are adapted to cooperate in a combined circuit comprising the first electronic circuit and more than one of said second circuits to perform the set of desired camera functions.
In another aspect of the present invention, a camera electronic circuit is provided. The camera electronic circuit having a first electronic circuit for performing a first set of electronic operations including charging a flash capacitor and discharging the flash capacitor through a flash tube to cause a flash of light during photography said first electronic circuit having a first set of electrical contacts. A second electronic circuit is provided having a second set of electrical contacts at least one of which engages the first set of electrical contacts, to cause first and second electronic circuits to cooperate to perform a second set of camera functions. At least one third electronic circuit is also provided each having a third set of electrical contacts, with at least one of the third set of electrical contacts engaging at least one of the first set or second set of contacts to combine the first, second and third electronic circuits so that the combined circuit can perform a third set of camera functions.